The Varnish House Bands

We will be punctual
We will be dressed snappily, and with personality
We will be easy to work with
We will be friendly (and a perhaps a little bit wry)
We will be sporting quality instruments and our gear will be in good condition

You will be impressed with our selection of songs
You will be able to select a combo that suits your taste and needs

When our parent bar, The Varnish, opened over a decade ago, our musical ethos was been to blend into and augment the vibe of the speakeasy -- to soundtrack your trip back in time to the 30's while you sipped your vintage craft cocktail.

Over the next few years, as the vibe of The Varnish evolved from "speakeasy-specific" to just "generally excellent", our repertoire expanded to include songs from later eras -- cool jazz, rockabilly, gypsy, hokum, contemporary singer-songwriter, to name a few. Our goal has been to fill the room with music that we find interesting; to make the sound fit the atmosphere without having to force it. Vibe is paramount; if your thoughts on the music are anything other than, "wow, these people can *play*", or "what is this song? i love this!" we're not doing it right. And we've been at it long enough by now to know the difference. We do it right.

As the music expanded, so did our league of musicians. We feature a broad and talented collection of pianists, drummers, guitarists, vocalists, saxophonists, violinists, woodwind players, mandolins -- we've even got a couple Grammy winners in our ranks.

No matter which combo you decide to go with, you'll know that you're getting players who feel personally connected to the music we're playing, and that we're playing that much better and deeper as a consequence.